


Proposing

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 13:49:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10023578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: John and Rodney are together and happy. Between now and their happily ever after as a married couple stands only one simple thing that turns out to be not as simple as they thought: Proposing.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for McSheplets prompt #206: Proposal and posted for that and Romancing McShep 2017.

"That was a very joyous occasion," Teyla commented when she, Ronon, and Rodney ate dinner together. "It is almost curious that we did not have a wedding on Atlantis before."

Ronon nodded. "The cake was great," he said.

"Oh, yeah," Rodney piped in. "And the reason we didn't have a wedding before is that most people want to have their family around, and there's no way the SGC would give clearance for that."

"Yes, I believe you are right," Teyla said. "It is understandable that people wish to celebrate this moment with their loved ones." She looked wistful.

Rodney knew that she missed her people. The SGC had allowed her and her family to join a mission to the Pegasus Galaxy a year ago. Rodney had half expected her to stay there, but they'd come back with the others. As all of them, she still had the hope that they'd return one day. Though being on Earth had its advantages. Especially when it came to the topic they'd just discussed and in which Rodney had a vested interest in at the moment.

"Jeannie _does_ have clearance, but I suppose we'd want Kaleb and Madison to be here as well, not to mention John's family," he thought out loud. No, Atlantis—breathtaking as it would be as a wedding setting—wouldn't work to celebrate their wedding.

Teyla and Ronon looked at him.

"I haven't asked," he said. "Yet."

"Hmm," Ronon said.

"What?" Rodney asked. "I want it to be a _good_ proposal."

"That's not what I meant," Ronon said.

"What did you mean?" Rodney asked.

Ronon looked at him for a moment, then said, "Nothing." Rodney raised his eyebrows. After a moment, Ronon added, "It's just that he once said that he didn't want to get married again. Was some time ago, though. Maybe he changed his mind."

"Why wouldn't he want to get married?" Rodney asked. It had never occurred to him that John might not say yes. Rodney was usually very good at coming up with worst case scenarios, but this one...

Ronon shrugged. "He's done it once, and I guess it wasn't for him."

"I imagine circumstances are different now," Teyla said to Rodney, smiling encouragingly.

Rodney got what she was saying. It was different because now John was with _him_. Except it hadn't sounded as if John had said he didn't want to make a mistake again. He didn't want to marry again.

Until a minute ago, his biggest problem had been to come up with the perfect proposal. Now he was suddenly faced with the possibility that the man he wanted to marry didn't want the same.

"Rodney?" Teyla asked.

"I need to...go," Rodney said.

He quickly got up and made his way to his room, contemplating a future in which he would never marry.

~~

Ronon wasn't sure if he should have kept his mouth shut about the marriage thing. He didn't want to discourage McKay. But he also didn't want him to enter the situation without warning. McKay liked to think that he had prepared for every eventuality—which to his credit was true more often than not. But if he _did_ turn out to be wrong, he sometimes didn't deal with it very well. Especially with something like this.

The thing was, Ronon wasn't sure if Sheppard still felt that way about marriage. Teyla had a point after all. Being with McKay was different. Ronon had only seen Sheppard interact with his ex-wife at his father's funeral, and they'd been long divorced by then, so he couldn't directly compare it. But he figured if Sheppard had been even half as happy with her as he was now with McKay, he'd never have let her go.

Ronon decided to broach the subject the next morning. He wouldn't ask him directly. McKay wouldn't be happy if Ronon ruined his surprise—if he still wanted to ask. So on their morning run, he started by asking how his trip to the mountain had been.

"Okay, I guess," Sheppard said.

"No news?" Ronon asked, though he suspected if there _were_ news, they'd all have known the moment Sheppard stepped through the gate.

"They are 'evaluating their options'," Sheppard said, not hiding his frustration.

Ronon wasn't surprised. He didn't know how humans on Earth had managed to evolve as they did. They never seemed to get anything done. "You missed a nice wedding," he said, changing the topic in what he hoped was an inconspicuous way. "Cake was good."

"Yeah, I know," Sheppard said, grinning. "Rodney stole a piece for me."

"Too bad we don't have weddings more often," Ronon said.

Sheppard snorted. "Well, people aren't going to get married just so that you—and Rodney for that matter—can grab some cake."

"Doesn't have to be because of that," Ronon said.

"I know that," Sheppard said. "I was joking."

"Hmm, well, you didn't want to get married again anyway," Ronon said.

"Wait, what?" Sheppard said, stopping.

"You've been married before," Ronon said. "Didn't work out."

"Yes," Sheppard said. "But what has that to do with weddings on Atlantis? Wait did Rodney say something?"

"He liked the cake," Ronon said.

Sheppard rolled his eyes and started running again.

Ronon still didn't really have his answer. He followed Sheppard. "Just seems like a thing he'd want. He's asked twice, didn't he? That we know of."

"And thank god that didn't work out," Sheppard said under his breath. Then he stopped again, looking thoughtful.

"What?" Ronon asked.

"He _has_ proposed to Katie Brown _and_ Keller," Sheppard said.

Ronon didn't say anything. He'd said enough to put it on Sheppard's mind. So however he decided, he'd at least have considered it. That was good enough for Ronon.

~~

John hadn't really thought about marrying Rodney. Well, the thought had crossed his mind back when Rodney had proposed to Katie Brown, and then when he'd done the same to Keller, but since they were together, John hadn't thought about it again.

Things were going great between them. He didn't feel at all that something was missing. Though that wasn't necessarily the reason why people got married. He wasn't really sure why _Rodney_ had proposed at least twice. In retrospect both occasions seemed ill-advised. But Rodney had still done it.

He'd recognized his mistake pretty soon with Katie Brown, but with Keller it had taken growing discord during the wedding preparation. Though not exactly preparation since they hadn't even set a date by the time they broke up.

John could imagine that Rodney would see getting married as final validation. Though he hoped that Rodney knew how much he meant to John. With or without marriage certificate.

Not that he'd mind getting married to Rodney. If they did it, doing it on Earth would certainly make sense from a logistical point of view. Though considering the 'progress' the SGC made in sending them home, they'd have at least another year.

That was really the thing. John didn't feel in any rush to get married to Rodney. If it happened, it would be wonderful, but they had time. Hopefully, they'd have a lot of time. Much more than Rodney had with Katie Brown or Keller after his respective proposal.

Really, Rodney should have known better than to ever ask them. They'd never been the person Rodney wanted to spend the rest of his life with without even thinking about it. Rodney had told him that himself.

John on the other hand...

John smiled at the thought of the things Rodney had told him, whispered declarations and confessions of love and affection. _This_ would be different. There would be no changing his mind. This was _it_ , and they both knew it.

Rodney knew it. Hmm. Looking at it from that perspective, John began to wonder why Rodney _hadn't_ proposed yet. He knew that Rodney was much more certain about their relationship than any other before. And it had been almost as long as...

Actually, John wasn't sure how long Rodney had been with Katie Brown when he'd popped the question, but with Keller it had been the one-year anniversary. A classical candle-light-dinner proposal. So they weren't quite as far along.

Their one-year anniversary was coming up in a few weeks, though. John wondered... Yeah. This had to be what Rodney was waiting for. Maybe not a candle-light dinner proposal, but a proposal for a special occasion.

He could just see it. He couldn't wait to find out what exactly Rodney would do.

~~

Rodney didn't know what to do.

He wanted his proposal to be perfect. But no matter what he came up with, if John hesitated, it would taint the experience. Being rejected would be worse, of course, even if John told him that it had nothing to do with _him_ and that it was simply that he didn't want to get married ever again.

But if John hesitated and then agreed, Rodney would wonder if he'd only done it for Rodney. In general Rodney wasn't opposed to doing things for your partner. They'd tried quite a few things in bed that they weren't necessarily _both_ into, but it had always ended up in great orgasms, and seeing John turned on out of his mind was enough to turn on Rodney as well even if the act itself didn't do it for him.

But _marriage_ was _different_. After asking Katie and Jennifer, Rodney was very aware that such a decision shouldn't be taken lightly. He didn't just want John to do it. He wanted him to _want_ it.

Maybe Teyla was right, and John's opinion on the subject had changed now that he was with Rodney. John might never have explicitly said it, but Rodney knew that this was the best relationship John had ever had. And obviously Rodney liked to think that John would look at Rodney and their possible life together and conclude that _of course_ he'd want to spend the rest of his life with him and officially declare it.

But maybe he wouldn't. Maybe John loved him and wanted to spend the rest of his life with Rodney, but didn't want to marry him.

It was a _possibility_ , and Rodney couldn't bring himself to risk it. This was the proposal that counted. He had _one_ shot at this, and if he wasn't certain of the outcome, he'd have to come up with something else.

What that something else was he wasn't sure yet. Bringing up the topic of marriage out of the blue would be suspicious. John wasn't an idiot after all. Maybe when the US courts finally resolved the marriage issue it would be a topic that naturally came up. Though who knew how long that would take.

Rodney sighed. He'd wait and see. There was no real harm in waiting, he told himself. They were very happy after all. Proposing on their one-year anniversary would have made it even more special, but there was no reason their celebration couldn't be fantastic without a proposal.

~~

They had a wonderful time on their anniversary. Instead of a candle-light dinner it was a picnic and sex. Lots of great sex.

But no proposal.

John had figured Rodney wanted to wait until John was completely worn out, but in the end they'd fallen asleep and the next morning Rodney still didn't slip him a note or ring or get on his knees or anything else that was a proposal.

John couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed. Actually, it wasn't really disappointment. It was wondering if he'd misread the situation.

He was still pretty sure that Rodney wanted to get married at some point. So if he didn't ask now, what was he waiting for?

Could he... No. Or maybe... Could it be that Rodney was waiting for _him_ to propose? He hadn't looked disappointed or anxious on their anniversary. Though maybe Rodney hadn't necessarily thought it had to happen on that day.

Still, John didn't think Rodney expected him to propose. He'd been the one to do it in both cases. And yes, it could have been the old-fashioned view that the man asks. But that wouldn't apply to them and Rodney always got disgruntled at the idea that he could somehow be seen as the woman in their relationship, so if he did somehow apply it to them, he'd still be the one to propose.

Unless maybe he thought that it was John's turn. After all Rodney had been the one to finally make the move on John. Maybe Rodney felt that the next big step in their relationship should come from John.

Hmm. John didn't know what to think. His instinct still told him that Rodney wanted to propose. And if he was right about that and then ruined Rodney's proposal by beating him to it... No, he certainly didn't want that. Rodney's eager hopeful face when he asked would be a memory he'd never forget. He wouldn't miss it for the world unless he was sure Rodney was waiting for him.

He'd have to find out what Rodney wanted. Asking would be the most obvious thing, but he wasn't sure if that in itself might not ruin Rodney's plans if he had any.

There had to be a better way to broach the subject of marriage without being too obvious. And there was. John looked up the state of marriage litigation in the US and wow, things were moving fast. For a moment he caught himself being grateful that there was so much going on there. Obviously he wished the Supreme Court would just end this farce and finally give them their constitutional rights, but it would allow him to discuss the subject with Rodney without making it about _them_ immediately.

~~

"So Hawaii finally gets marriage equality. It was _their_ court ruling that led to all the constitutional amendments and DOMA. And now they get it for real, after not even two decades of waiting," John said, adding the last sarcastically. He wasn't entirely sure if reading up on court rulings about same-sex marriage was depressing or hopeful. Maybe both.

"Yes, I heard," Rodney said, looking up interested. "There's still a long way until it's legal nationwide since the Supreme Court was too coward to finish it when they killed DOMA. But we _are_ making progress bit by bit."

"Yeah. And the DOMA ruling seems to speed things up," John said. "Who knows what the next year will bring? I guess it depends on the right case making it all the way to the Supreme Court."

"Sure," Rodney said. "And then everyone could just get married without having to consider where they currently live or might move to. If that's what they want."

Jackpot! John knew Rodney well enough to interpret the last question as that and not the general statement it appeared to be. Though he had no idea why he would think that John _wouldn't_ want it. "Of course," John said. "Nobody will be forced, even if certain people act as if that's what's going to happen. But for those who want it... And many do I'm sure. It's nice to commit to the person you love and celebrate that promise."

"It is?" Rodney asked, eyes big and hopeful.

John smiled. "Sure."

"Well, I think so too, but some people might not," Rodney said. "Some people just don't want to make things official. They believe staying together 'voluntarily' is more meaningful or something. And others might have just had a bad experience with it."

Yes. His marriage with Nancy was certainly not something he would want to repeat. But it would be so much better with Rodney. "Yeah. But with the _right_ person it will be different."

"Ah," Rodney said, and John could practically see the light bulb above his head. "That's... Absolutely! With the right person, most people will want it—at least those who aren't philosophically opposed to the idea. Mistakes are just that. They're made to learn from."

"Exactly," John said. He was glad they'd cleared that up. And he couldn't wait for Rodney's proposal.

~~

"With the _right_ person it will be different. Those were his exact words!" Rodney said.

"Okay," Ronon said. "He changed his mind. Good for you. I didn't want to keep you from asking. Just wanted to mention it."

"No, yes. It's... I'm glad you did," Rodney said. "I would have been... I don't even want to think about how it would have felt. At least now I know that John _has_ thought about it. Unless he was really only talking in general. But no, I cannot... Being with me _is_ different. If he wanted to be married to Nancy, he'll love being married to me," he said, feeling determined. "But do you know what that means?"

"There'll be a wedding?" Ronon said.

"Obviously. But before we get to that I'll need to propose. Since I missed the time window for the first anniversary I have plenty of time to come up with something truly spectacular," Rodney said.

"What did you have in mind?" Ronon asked.

"I don't know yet. There are so many options. I hope I can count on you if I need help," Rodney said. He didn't think he'd go for a flash mob, but he hadn't completely ruled it out yet either. "You and Teyla and if necessary...well, everyone on Atlantis."

"I guess just asking is out of the question," Ronon said.

"I want him to be absolutely blown away by it," Rodney said. He liked to imagine John's face when he worked on his proposal ideas. It was that look of pure awe and wonder and happiness. To put that look on John's face was one of Rodney's greatest joys in life. And he wanted his proposal to be one of those moments.

~~

There were so many ways to propose.

Rodney had looked and read about proposals that went viral. And then there were his own ideas. He split them up into categories like sky—with the subcategory space—or off-world or romance. Then there were one-shots like arranging something on the water while John went surfing or a proposal via football stadium message.

Rodney could have easily spent all day doing nothing but research on this, but he actually had his normal job, so progress was slow. But the anticipation kept it a very enjoyable experience, and he was in no rush.

~~

John waited and waited and waited.

Other states legalized marriage, but when John mentioned it, Rodney only smiled happily. John wasn't sure what to make of that. He had been sure that Rodney was going to propose, but it couldn't take that long to make a decision on when and where, and he didn't think that Rodney was going to wait until their second anniversary.

Or would he?

The thing was that John felt himself getting impatient. He hadn't thought about marrying Rodney at first when they got together, but now that he had and concluded that it was something he definitely wanted, he didn't want to wait forever.

Their second anniversary was still many months away, and the IOA might finally get their act together and allow them to go home. John didn't want to rush things then. He didn't want a huge formal wedding like his first one had been, but he wanted to have time to prepare something nice and make sure both their families and all their friends could be there.

Since discussing it with Rodney, John had thought about what it would be like. He could imagine a nice wedding in a California vineyard. Or maybe a wedding on the beach if he could talk Rodney into that.

Maybe Rodney _was_ waiting for John after he'd more or less spelled out that he would love to marry Rodney even after his failed first attempt. Maybe he thought John would want to do it to make up for his mistake. Yes, hadn't Rodney actually said something about mistakes and learning from them? Had that been a hint that John had missed?

Okay, this was beginning to drive him crazy, and he didn't want his anticipation to turn into stress. He'd given Rodney more than enough time to propose. If Rodney had decided to wait and sit on his idea until their second anniversary that had been his risk to take.

John wouldn't wait that long. If Rodney didn't propose within this month, John would do it.

~~

Rodney _didn't_ propose, so John decided to do it.

He would go with the golden classic. Falling on his knees. Now he just needed an occasion. Since there wasn't anything obvious in the near future, it would have be to be a normal date. With food. Rodney responded wonderfully to food. And sex, though John didn't want to do his proposal naked on the floor or in bed. So food it was.

Rodney was a bit surprised by the dinner John had arranged, but he didn't ask any questions and instead dug in.

The chocolate cream cake for dessert made him moan, and John's heart beat loudly in anticipation. When Rodney had finally finished the last bite of the cake, John got up and then got down on one knee in front of Rodney.

He revealed the simple ring that he'd picked as Rodney's wedding band and asked, "Will you marry me?"

Rodney's mouth opened, then he frowned. "What?"

"Will you marry me?" John repeated patiently.

"But...why?" Rodney asked.

"Because I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you," John said.

"I know, but I thought... I had _plans_ ," Rodney said. "I've been working on my proposal. I thought you knew that after our talk...about Hawaii."

"That was months ago," John pointed out.

"No, it wasn't," Rodney said. Then he seemed to consider it. "Okay, maybe it was. I might have miscalculated the amount of time I've spent on this."

"It's fine," John said. He was willing to wait for Rodney's proposal. He got up.

"You thought...that I wasn't going to propose?" Rodney asked.

"I wasn't sure anymore," John said. "I thought you'd do it for our anniversary, but you didn't. Then I was _sure_ after our talk about Hawaii, but..."

"So you thought you'd ask yourself," Rodney concluded. He was smiling.

"I couldn't wait," John admitted with a smile of his own.

Rodney reached for him, and John met him in a kiss. When they parted, Rodney said, "Yes."

"Yes?" John asked.

"Yes, I'll marry you," Rodney said.

"Oh," John said. "You don't have to. I _can_ wait. Now that I know that you have plans..."

"No," Rodney said. "I mean, yes, I have plans, but really, they're all quite involved. One of them might require inventing a new branch of physics, so maybe all things considered it would be best not to wait."

John snorted. "Yeah, maybe we shouldn't wait _that_ long. Are you sure? I _can_ wait for you. Maybe a more simple proposal?"

Rodney cupped John's face. "Do you want to marry me?"

"Yes, I do," John said.

"Perfect," Rodney said.

John kissed him again. "Is this where we start arguing about location and guests and everything else?"

"No, that can wait until tomorrow. Today we should celebrate," Rodney said, getting up to pull John into a full body kiss.

John couldn't disagree with that. He kissed his fiancé back.


End file.
